Address printing machines using yieldable pressure pads and thin foil address plates

ABSTRACT

A pad or cushion for addressing machines comprises two layers, the layer arranged to come closest to the embossed addressing plate having a Shore hardness of 30 to 50 while an underlying layer has a harness of 75 to 95.

United States Patent Inventor Heinz Dieter Janzen Berlin, Germany Appl. No. 799,646 Filed Feb. 17, 1969 Patented Dec. 14, 1971 Assignee Adremn-Werke Gmbll Berlin, Germany Priority Mar. 1, 1968 Germany P 16 36 307.8

ADDRESS PRINTING MACHINES USING YIELDABLE PRESSURE PADS AND THIN FOIL ADDRESS PLATES Claims, 3 Drawlng Figs.

U.S. Cl 101/407, 101/65,101/379 lnt.Cl B41j 11/12, B41147/44, B41j 1/38 Fleld 01 Search 101/65,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,349,701 /1967 Janzen 101/369 358,857 3/1887 Henry... 101/269 1,691,336 11/1928 Casto... 101/407 2,179,746 l1/1939 Laszlo 101/407 2,284,095 5/1942 Jordan 101/376 2,374,194 4/1945 Grupe 101/407 2,631,536 3/1953 Riley 101/376 2,859,690 11/1958 Wright et a1. 101/65 2,889,768 6/1959 Hampton 101/65 2,994,265 8/1961 Hurlbut et a1... 101/269 3,109,368 11/1963 Luttrell 10l/376 Primary Examiner-William B. Penn Attorney-Holman & Stern ABSTRACT: A pad or cushion for addressing machines comprises two layers, the layer arranged to come closest to the embossed addressing plate having a Shore hardness of to while an underlying layer has a harness of to 95.

ADDRESS PRINTING MACHINES USING YIELDABLE PRESSURE PADS AND THIN FOIL ADDRESS PLATES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to addressing machines and more particularly to pressure applying pads or like means of a curved or flat form and comprising elastic material for providing an impression surface. During the printing of an address from a prepared plate such a pressing means is pressed downwards onto the envelope to be printed, the envelope overlying an ink ribbon or a piece of carbon paper which in turn overlies the address plate embossed with the text of the address.

It has been found that the quality of the impression produced on the envelope or other piece of paper to be printed depends to a large extent on the nature or characteristics of the pressing means. If the pressing or impression means is too soft, the ink ribbon may be pressed down into contact with the nonembossed parts of the address plate and the paper printed at these positions to give a shadowing efiect. On the other hand, an excessively hard impression means may not provide for an even pressing of the paper and ribbon against the raised parts of the plate so that the printed image is uneven. In order to provide a satisfactory printed image, very close tolerances for the elasticity of the impression means have to be observed.

One object of the present invention is to provide a pressing or impression means, such as a pad or roller, for an addressing machine with which despite comparatively large tolerances as regards the depth of embossing and the quality of the ink ribbon and the paper, a sharp printed image is readily obtained without any shadowing effects.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention consists in an addressing device for use with address plates and comprising a frame, a support on the frame, means for locating address plates on the support, and a pressing means arranged for movement towards the support for pressing a piece of paper in a direction towards one such address plate, characterized in that the pressing part comprises a resilient cushioning laminate made up of first and second elastic layers of which the first layer, which is arranged to come closest to the address plate, has a Shore hardness of 30 to 50 while the second layer has a Shore hardness of 75 to 95.

The first layer can conveniently have a thickness of 0.2 to 0.4 mm., preferably 0.3 mm., and be made of pararubber.

The resilient cushioning laminate can be in the form of a generally plane pad or in the form of a roller.

The present invention also consists in an addressing machine impression means comprising a laminate with first and second elastic layers of which the first layer, which is arranged to come closest to the address plate, has a Shore hardness of 30 to 50 while the second layer has a Shore hardness of 75 to 95.

The present invention also consists in a method for printing using an embossed metal plate and an ink-carrying sheet, comprising laying the ink-carrying sheet against the metal plate and then pressing the sheet of paper against the side of the inkcarrying sheet remote from the embossed plates by means of a laminate comprising (a) a first layer which comes closest to the paper and has a Shore hardness of 30 to 50 and (b) a backing layer with a hardness of 75 to 95.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows manually operated addressing machines and an impression pad.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view of part of a manually operated addressing machine with a vertically moving arm carrying a flat impression pad or cushion, partly in section;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side view of an arm of an addressing machine with an impression roller arranged to be moved by hand,

FIG. 3 is a section through the pressing or impression cushion of the machine in accordance with FIG. I on a larger scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As shown in FIG. I, a manually operated addressing machine comprises a table or support 1 which is provided with a guide 2 serving as a means for locating address printing plates 3. When located in the guide 2, an address plate 3 is overlaid by an inked ribbon 4. The table or support carries a vertically moving arm 5 which is provided with a pressing or impression means in the form of a cushion or pad 6.

In operation, paper 7, for instance in the fonn of an envelope, is laid over the inked ribbon and pressed downwards manually using the arm 5. As a result, the impression pad 6 presses the paper 7 against the ribbon and owing to an embossed address on the plate 3, pressure contact between the ribbon and paper 7 is localized in accordance with the letters which have been embossed so that a printed image appears on the undersurface of the paper 7.

FIG. 2 shows a further type of manual addressing machine in which a vertically moving arm 8 is provided with a carriage 9. An impression or pressing roller 10 is joumaled at its end in the carriage for rotation about its axis. With the help of a gear transmission, shown only diagrammatically, the carriage can be moved by the hand when the arm 8 is pressed down onto the paper over the kind inked ribbon and the roller 10 is rolled over the paper which is to be addressed.

The impression means in the form of the pad 6 is flat while the impression roller 10 is provided with a cushioning impression means of cylindrical, that is to say curved, shape.

From FIG. 3, which shows the impression pad 6 on a larger scale, it can be seen that the pad is in the form of a laminate. The pad is carried on a metal or plastic material underlay I! and comprises a rubber layer 12 with a Shore hardness of 75 to 95. This layer 12 is vulcanized or otherwise attached to the underlay 11. On the lower side of the layer 12 there is a layer 13 of pararubber which comes closest to the address plate during printing. The rubber layer 13 has a thickness of 0.2 to 0.4 mm., with the preferred thickness being 0.3 mm. The hardness of the rubber material is 30 to 50 Shore.

The same type of laminate construction is used in the case of the impression roller 10 of FIG. 2.

The layers do not necessarily have to be of rubber and can be made of other materials having the Shore hardnesses given.

It has been found that impression pads in accordance with the invention give good printing with address plates embossed in an address plate embossing machine and also with address plates consisting of metal foil having a thickness of 0.06 to 0.1 mm. after embossing in a typewriter. The substantial hardness of the layer 12 prevents shadowing on the paper printed. The softness of the layer 13 ensures that there is an even transfer of ink onto the paper.

The use of the word laminate" is not intended to restrict the invention to impression parts whose layers are bonded or stuck together.

What I claim is:

1. In an addressing device adapted for use with address plates defined by thin foils and comprising a frame, a support on the frame, means for locating address plates on the support, and an impression part arranged for movement towards the support for pressing a piece of paper in a direction towards on such address plate, the improvement that the impression part comprises a resilient cushioning laminate constituted by first and second elastic layers, the first layer being arranged to come closest to the address plate, said first layer having a Shore hardness of 30 to 50 and a thickness of 0.2 to 0.4 mm. and the second layer having a Shore hardness of 75 to 95.

2. The structure as set forth in claim 1 in which the first layer is 0.3 mm. in thickness.

pressing the sheet of paper against the side of the ink-carrying sheet remote from the embossed plate by means of a laminate comprising (a) a first layer which comes closest to the paper having a Shore hardness of 30 to 50 and a thickness of 0.2 to 0.4 mm. and (b) a backing layer having a hardness of 75 to 95.

l i t i i 

1. In an addressing device adapted for use with address plates defined by thin foils and comprising a frame, a support on the frame, means for locating address plates on the support, and an impression part arranged for movement towards the support for pressing a piece of paper in a direction towards on such address plate, the improvement that the impression part comprises a resilient cushioning laminate constituted by first and second elastic layers, the first layer being arranged to come closest to the address plate, said first layer having a Shore hardness of 30 to 50 and a thickness of 0.2 to 0.4 mm. and the second layer having a Shore hardness of 75 to
 95. 2. The structure as set forth in claim 1 in which the first layer is 0.3 mm. in thickness.
 3. The structure as set forth in claim 1 in which the impression part is a flat pad.
 4. The structure as set forth in claim 1 in which the impression part is a roller.
 5. A method of printing using an embossed metal plate defined by thin foil and an ink-carrying sheet, comprising laying the ink-carrying sheet against the metal plate and then pressing the sheet of paper against the side of the ink-carrying sheet remote from the embossed plate by means of a laminate comprising (a) a first layer which comes closest to the paper having a Shore hardness of 30 to 50 and a thickness of 0.2 to 0.4 mm. and (b) a backing layer having a hardness of 75 to
 95. 